Seed Ecology

1 Reproductive strategies in plants.- 1.1 Seeds versus vegetative reproduction.- 1.2 The principle of allocation.- 1.3 Reproductive effort.- 1.4 Life histories and fertility schedules.- 1.5 Seed size and number.- 2 Predispersal hazards.- 2.1 Seed losses due to pollination failure.- 2.2 Seed losses due to resource deficiency.- 2.3 Seed losses due to predation.- 2.4 Seed losses due to lethal gene combinations.- 3 Dispersal.- 3.1 Dispersal curves.- 3.2 Dispersal agents.- 3.3 Wind dispersal.- 3.4 External carriage by birds, animals and man.- 3.5 Myrmecochory.- 3.6 Dispersal by frugivory.- 3.7 Long distance dispersal.- 4 Soil seed banks.- 4.1 The seed content of soils.- 4.2 Seed banks in relation to life strategies.- 4.3 Seed longevity.- 4.4 Field longevity experiments.- 4.5 Ecological significance of seed banks.- 5 Dormancy.- 5.1 Ecological significance of dormancy.- 5.2 Types of dormancy.- 5.3 Cyclic changes in dormancy.- 5.4 Influence of parental environment on seed dormancy.- 5.5 Correlative effects.- 6 Germination.- 6.1 The role of gaps in regeneration.- 6.2 Temperature fluctuations.- 6.3 Light quality and periodicity.- 6.4 Microtopography and water relations.- 6.5 The chemical environment.- 7 Seedling establishment.- 7.1 Shade, seed size and seedling growth.- 7.2 Seedling morphology in relation to shade.- 7.3 Competition and seedling survival.- 7.4 Other establishment hazards: drought, burial and predation.- 8 Regeneration and diversity.- 8.1 Coexistence.- 8.2 Gap size.- 8.3 Gap diversity.- 8.4 Timing of disturbance.- 8.5 Environmental fluctuations.- 8.6 Intraspecific spacing.- 8.7 Relative abundance.- References.